Only after lighting a long-overdue candle for her father did she step back outside.

Standing on the stone steps, she lifted her head to look at the white clouds that seemed close enough to touch, her gaze gradually turning hollow and lost.

In this vast, endless world, there was no longer a single soul bound to her by blood.

Those who loved her, and those she loved, had all departed from her life.

Clinging to her tears, she lowered her head as a dark, desperate thought began to tear a rift in her heart.

"Is the scenery here beautiful?"

Seraphina froze, turning her head to see a local monk standing a few paces away. Caught off guard, she quickly wiped away her tears and nodded. "It is very beautiful."

The monk smiled gently. "In a person's life, everything that comes is simply scenery, and everything that goes eventually becomes a memory. Rather than giving up early, why not peacefully cherish the journey, and witness the blooming and fading of life along the way?"

Hearing this, Seraphina's gaze locked, a thousand thoughts spinning through her mind, leaving her with a sudden surge of shame.

Her parents had given her life, and she was the continuation of their existence. How could she so easily throw away the most precious gift they had left her?

Even if they were no longer here, she should live on, carrying their memory with her to witness the blooming and fading of her own life.

Seraphina managed a faint smile through her tears, pressing her hands together as she gave the monk a respectful bow. "Thank you. I understand now."

After staying in the Highlands for a few more days, she finally boarded a long-distance coach for her return journey.

Seraphina sat by the window. Catching a glimpse of the steep ravine outside, estimated to drop dozens of meters, her heart jolted, and she instinctively averted her eyes.

Fortunately, the coach was driving very steadily. On the long, monotonous journey, Seraphina began to drift off to sleep.

Suddenly, as they hit a sharp bend, the vehicle made a violent, abrupt turn to the right, throwing all the passengers inside fiercely to the left.

Seraphina snapped awake instantly!

But before she could even process what was happening, a deafening crash echoed out. The coach had overturned right at the edge of the deep ravine, with half of its body completely suspended in mid-air!

Chapter 10: FM 89.3

Panicked screams filled Seraphina’s ears. She forced herself to endure the sharp pain of the seatbelt clamping tightly against her abdomen, trying desperately to calm down, but it was to no avail.

The driver shouted at the passengers near the front to move carefully and crawl out through the emergency exit at the rear of the coach.

Seraphina was sitting in the very last row. Her heart was in a state of utter chaos, but the passengers who had already escaped from the front did not give up; they turned back to extend a helping hand to those who were still trapped.

Seeing their anxious, tense faces and their desperate efforts to save lives, she was instantly reminded of the night her father met his accident. The rims of her eyes turned red, and suddenly, she didn't feel quite as panicked anymore.

"Sweetheart, quick, give me your hand!" A man in his forties reached his hand out toward her, preparing to pull her out.

Seraphina looked at him, her eyes lighting up.

Just as she was about to stretch out her hand, a barrage of crying echoed from the front left.

Seraphina leaned forward to look and saw a little girl of about six or seven years old, firmly wedged into her seat.

In that split second, Seraphina’s heart sank, and she instinctively made a decision.

"Little sister," Seraphina reached out toward the girl and said gently, "don't be afraid. Give your hand to ma'am."

The little girl, her face drenched in tears, looked at Seraphina and carefully reached out her hand.

Because of Seraphina's movements to pull the child, the coach began to slide downward unsteadily, throwing everyone into absolute panic.

Seraphina braced her heart, gave a fierce tug, and used every ounce of her strength to lift the girl into her arms, shouting at the top of her lungs, "Catch her!"

The man, quick of eye and deft of hand, grabbed the little girl's hand and hauled her out safely.

But immediately after came a deafening boom!

A massive explosion that echoed through the entire valley tore at the hearts of every screaming soul as the coach tumbled down into the colossal ravine like a toy car.

Amidst the violent tumbling, Seraphina felt as though her internal organs were being crushed together. Under the immense pain, she seemed to lose consciousness almost instantly, leaving only a fading shred of awareness to look back upon this brief life.

Dad, Mom, Seraphina didn't want to die, and she really wanted to live on, but she had simply given the chance of survival to a child.

With another ear-piercing blast, she plunged entirely into darkness…

Riverdale.

The rain had been falling continuously for several days now, as if trying to wash away every remaining trace of the person who had left this city.

Beside a streetlight near the WFRD Radio Station building, a few wisps of smoke drifted out from a black Bentley and quickly dissipated.

Ethan Vance leaned against the back of his seat with a freezing expression, crushing out his seventh half-smoked cigarette.

He stared at the curtain of rain in the night, his heart, which had been restless for days, growing increasingly uneasy.

For eight whole days, he hadn't seen Seraphina, nor had he received a single phone call or text message from her.

His eyes narrowed. He ran a hand through the dark hair on his forehead in irritation, feeling a sense of unwillingness because of Seraphina's sudden "free spirit," alongside a wave of vexation and awkwardness that he couldn't quite trace the origin of.

It was nearly 10:00 PM.

Ethan checked the time, rolled up the car window to block out the sound of the wind and rain, and switched on the car radio, tuning it by some strange twist of fate to FM 89.3—a station he had only listened to once before.

The last time he had tuned into this frequency was solely to torment Seraphina.

"Good evening, listeners, I am Willow Taylor…" The voice was very gentle, but for some reason, it trembled slightly.

It wasn't Seraphina.

Ethan's brows knitted tightly. He reached out and placed another cigarette between his lips.

He extended his hand, about to change the station.

Right then, the female host spoke with a choked sob, "I am terribly sorry, but I must interrupt with an announcement. I want to say I am sorry to the listeners who love Seraphina Cross."

Hearing this, Ethan’s hand froze, his head turning somewhat rigidly toward the sound.

"She was involved in a car accident on her way back from the Scottish Highlands. She used her own life to save a little girl…"

The female host’s sobbing voice came to a sudden pause.

And Ethan’s breathing felt completely choked by this brief, deathly silence.

"She passed away on December 18, 2020, at St. Jude's Hospital in the Highlands…"

Chapter 11: The Rain Stopped

Ethan’s pupils contracted violently, his lips trembled, and his cigarette slipped from his mouth.

"We are deeply saddened by the loss of... this wonderful colleague, but we are also profoundly proud of her bravery…"

The female host was already weeping uncontrollably, yet she still fought to deliver the remaining details regarding Seraphina.

However, the rest of her words were abruptly cut off by a hand slamming down on the "power" button.

Ethan clenched his fists tightly, the corners of his eyes turning burning red like blood, his chest heaving violently like a patient desperate for oxygen.

Seraphina… was dead?

He stared fixedly at the rain trickling down the front windshield. The jaw he had been biting tightly suddenly went slack, and he let out a laugh filled with a fury that seemed ready to storm the heavens.

In the next instant, Ethan abruptly started the car, threw it into gear, and slammed his foot down on the accelerator.

Speeding directly against the wind and rain, Ethan practically drove the luxury sedan like a sports car.

Outside the WFRD Radio Station building, the car skidded to a halt with a sharp screech of the brakes.

Ethan threw his door open, charging into the building drenched in rain, and roared at Mandy, the stunned receptionist, "Call Seraphina Cross out here!"

At this moment, he was like a volcano on the verge of eruption, yet his entire being exuded a terrifying, freezing aura.

"S-Sir, please calm down." Mandy tried to pacify Ethan, but the moment she caught sight of his gaze, she fell silent in sheer terror.

Just then, Arthur Pendelton stepped out of the elevator. Seeing Ethan here, he was surprised for a moment, but then found it only logical.